This is Absolutely Outrageous

Facing a deficit of historic proportions, Republican lawmakers in Georgia want to spend tens of millions on a tax cut for big corporations. What do they want to tax instead? Your groceries.

Family friendly bunch, don't you think?

Oh, they'll tell you that Georgians will still be able to take a deduction on their state income tax returns, but we'll pay the money now, and maybe get part of it back later. Maybe. If you file a return; if you know to take the deduction; if you keep your receipts. If, if, if...Of course, families have to eat NOW, not later. At at time when many Georgians are facing skyrocketing unemployment and one in eight homeowners are behind on their mortgages, this is simply outrageous.

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Georgia GOP: Cut Critical Services, Fund Huge Corporate Tax Cuts

Georgia Republicans would rather spend millions giving big tax breaks to corporations than pay for immunizations for babies. And, they're willing to spend that money without presenting a scrap of research supporting their "feeling" that such tax breaks will spur economic development and therefore increase other revenue streams. Who knew the GOP would end up being the touchy-feelly party? Well, except for that.

Yes, the GOP, with a few Democrats in tow, have led a remarkable legislative session. Remarkably ironic. In the face of an historic 3.1 billion dollar deficit, they hope to create new tax breaks for big corporations-tax breaks that stand to cost Georgia tens of millions, if not billions of dollars, and necessitating cuts to many critical services and jeopardizing future revenue. According to a must-read commentary by Sarah Beth Gehl with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute,

In the coming days, the Georgia House of Representatives will debate and vote on whether to phase-out the state corporate income tax and create several temporary tax breaks for businesses. They will simultaneously work on passing a budget that provides fewer immunizations for infants and makes cuts to QuickStart, Georgia’s customized training program for economic development. These are just a few of the many cuts to vital services prompted by the precariously steep decline in state tax dollars.

The short story? Georgia Republicans favor cuts to children's health care, public schools and grassroots economic development programs (QuickStart) in order to fund tens of millions in tax breaks for big corporations.

Georgians who can't find jobs or afford to pay their mortgages, together with locally elected officials who can't keep police on the streets and teachers in the classrooms recognize this proposal for what it is: an irresponsible dereliction of duty.

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"Snow" in Macon

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What Shipp Said

Bill Shipp's piece today is a must read. When Georgia, squarely in the "black belt of poverty", has become a donor state there's a problem. Georgia is "Exhibit "A" in the argument that Reaganomics is a horrendous failure. Take the money, Sonny.

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